Glossary · Back room
Queues and bottlenecks
Work waits at every stage in a working store. These two words separate the waiting that is normal from the stage that is holding everything else up.
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The short version
A queue is the items waiting at a stage. Every stage has one, and most of the time that is fine. The bottleneck is the stage where enough has piled up to hold the rest of the store back.
The terms
- Queue
The items waiting at a workflow stage.
Often confused with
The stage itself. A stage is the step an item goes through. A queue is the items waiting at it, so a stage can have a long queue, a short one or none at all.
In the store
Several items are waiting to be tested while one waits to be cleaned. The items waiting at Testing are its queue.
- Bottleneck
The workflow stage where enough work has accumulated to hold up the rest of the store.
Often confused with
Blocked. Blocked is one item that cannot move. A bottleneck is a stage, and most of the items sitting in it are usually not Blocked at all, only waiting their turn.
In the store
Testing, Cleaning and Needs Pricing all have queues, but far more is sitting at Needs Pricing than anywhere else. That stage is the bottleneck.
Why the distinction matters
A total tells you how much you own. It does not tell you where any of it is sitting. Two stores can hold the same number of items, and in one of them half are waiting at a single stage. The count looks the same. The stores are not.
These are store-level words. Blocked describes one item that cannot move. A bottleneck describes a stage, and the items in it are usually not Blocked at all. Where to put your attention once you can see that is covered in retro game store operations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a queue and a workflow stage?
A stage is the step an item goes through. A queue is the items waiting at that step. The stage always exists; its queue may be long, short or empty.
Is a bottleneck the same as an item being Blocked?
No. Blocked is one item that cannot move forward. A bottleneck is a whole stage where work has piled up, and most of the items in it are usually just waiting their turn.
Does every queue mean there is a problem?
No. Work waits at every stage in a working store. A queue only matters when one stage is holding up the rest.
Can a store have more than one bottleneck?
Stages can all have queues at once, but the bottleneck is the one holding the rest back. Clearing it usually moves the most inventory.
See which stage is holding the rest back.
RetroBase shows what is waiting at each stage between Intake and Ready to Sell, so the bottleneck is visible instead of guessed at.
Choose RetroBase as a preferred source and Google shows these pages to you more often.
